Editing English Heritage (section)

== National Collection ==
[[Image:Stonehenge2007 07 30.jpg|thumb|[[Stonehenge]], one of English Heritage's most famous sites]] [[Image:Visitors' centre Stonehenge.JPG|thumb|Stonehenge visitor centre. Opened in December 2013, over {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of the monument, just off the [[A360 road]] in [[Wiltshire]].]]
{{main|List of English Heritage properties}}

English Heritage is the guardian of over 400 sites and monuments, the most famous of which include [[Stonehenge]], [[Osborne House|Osborne]], [[The Iron Bridge|Iron Bridge]], [[Tintagel Castle]], and [[Dover Castle]]. Whilst many have an entry charge, more than 250 properties are free to enter<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/article/521324/See-English-Heritage-history-for-free.html |title=See English Heritage history for free |date=April 2011 |access-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> including [[Maiden Castle, Dorset]] and [[St Catherine's Oratory]].

The sites are part of the portfolio of over 880 historical places across the UK amassed by the British Government between the 1880s and the 1970s to form the National Collection of built and archaeological heritage. (The balance is in the care of [[Historic Scotland]] and [[Cadw]].) These sites represent a deliberate attempt by the state in the 19th and early 20th century to take the nation's most significant prehistoric sites and medieval sites, which were no longer in active use, into public ownership.<ref name="EHinfo pack2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/who-we-are/corporate-information/information-pack/ |title=English Heritage Information Pack 2010 |access-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> This national property collection performs the same function as pictures in the [[National Gallery]] and the archaeological material in the [[British Museum]].

Unlike the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], English Heritage holds few furnished properties, although [[Down House|Charles Darwin's home]] at Down, [[Kent]] (where he wrote ''[[On the Origin of Species]]'') and [[Brodsworth Hall]], [[South Yorkshire]] are major exceptions to this. New sites are rarely added to the collection as other charities and institutions are now encouraged to care for them and open them to the public.<ref name="EHinfo pack2010"/> Recent acquisitions include [[Harmondsworth Barn]] in west London, close to Heathrow airport, in late 2011 and [[Carrawburgh]] Roman Fort in January 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hadrian's Wall Roman fort 'gifted to the nation' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-51039457 |publisher=BBC News |date=9 January 2020}}</ref>

The properties are held by English Heritage under various arrangements. The majority are in the guardianship of the Secretary of State for the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]], with the freehold being retained by the owner. The remaining properties are owned either by English Heritage, other government departments or the [[Crown Estate]].<ref name="EHAnnualReport2009-10">English Heritage 2009–2010 Annual Report and Accounts</ref>

In 2013–14 there were 5.73&nbsp;million visits to staffed sites, with 713,000 free educational visits to sites, collections and tailored learning activities and resources.<ref name="2013/14 Annual Report"/>

In February 2024, English Heritage reported that the previous year had seen record numbers of families visiting their sites, with numbers up 50% over the past decade. 2023 also proved to be a record-breaking year for a number of sites, such as [[Tintagel Castle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Record numbers of families visited English Heritage sites in 2023 |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/record-number-of-visitors-in-2023/ |website=English Heritage |access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref>